Field of the Invention
The Field of the invention pertains to outerwear garments worn by children and adults
Technical Problem
Each year thousands of individuals, (including children) are seriously injured or die in automobile accidents due to injuries sustained because of being improperly restrained in automobile restraint systems (e.g. car seats). The prevalence of this phenomenon has dangerous potential for increase during cold-weather months because of the need for the use of outerwear garments (jackets, vests, parkas, cloaks) during road travel. When worn by a child restrained in a car seat restraint device, the vast majority of conventional outerwear garments create bulk and uncompressed space between the car seat restraint straps and the body of the wearer. The presence of such bulk and space between the car seat restraint device straps and the wearer makes the security of the wearer being restrained precarious and unreliable as it increases the potential for space compression and resulting ejection of the person previously restrained in the event of an automobile accident. For this reason, the use of conventional outerwear garments is strongly discouraged by the car seat device manufacturer industry.
Caregivers who are aware of this danger have tried a number of different limited strategies for keeping their children restrained properly while at the same time keeping them warm during the course of cold-weather travel. Many caregivers allow their children to wear their conventional outerwear garment outdoors in the elements while transitioning to the vehicle, but then remove the garment to insure proper security in the car seat restraint device. Blankets or even the conventional outerwear garments themselves are often then placed unsecured on top of the restrained child for warmth. This option is safer, but cumbersome and time-consuming, especially for caregivers who have to repeat this process for more than one child. Additionally the removal of this important outer-layer of clothing from a child in cold and inclement weather can cause significant discomfort to the child, as well as the caregiver who may be directly exposed to the elements themselves while assisting the child in this potentially lengthy process, as well as the process to re-dress the child to exit the vehicle back into the outside elements.